WordWalk Puzzle Tutorial

Detailed How To

Overview

A WordWalk puzzle is a word-based puzzle embedded in a directed graph. A directed graph consists of:

• Nodes (letters represented as shapes):
  • Ellipses for consonants
  • Diamonds for vowels
• Arrows (edges) that indicate valid letter transitions.

Puzzle Structure

• Rootwords: Hidden words you must guess.
• Subwords: Given words that help solve the puzzle.
• A word is a subword if each of its letters appears somewhere in one of the rootwords.
• If multiple rootwords exist, a subword must belong to at least one of them.

How to Solve the Puzzle

1. Identify the Rootword(s)

• Spell out each rootword letter by letter, by clicking on each node in order.
• Start with the given first letter(s) and follow the possible paths.

2. Find the Subwords

• Subwords are provded below the puzzle as hints.
• You don't have to find each subword in the puzzle, but doing so will reveal where the letters are and make it easier to find the rootword(s).
• Click on nodes in the puzzle for each letter of a subword to reveal the subword.
• Each subword adds new edges to the graph, increasing complexity.

Understanding the Graph Structure

• Each letter in a word is assigned to a unique node.
• If a letter is followed by another in a word, an arrow connects them.
• If a letter repeats (e.g., ‘o’ in book), a loop arrow is created.
• Arrows include:
  • Solid arrowheads (showing direction).
  • Small open circles (marking starting points).

Subwords and Graph Complexity

Additional subwords contribute extra edges, embedding subgraphs within the rootword graph. This creates multiple paths, some of which do not belong to any word.

Example of Subwords

• The rootword street has the subword test.
• If two rootwords exist (best and tie), test is still a valid subword across both.

Short Rootwords Can Have Many Subwords

• Example: The rootword would has subwords like:
  • do, old, low, wood, odd, loud, wow, doll
• Only a few selected subwords appear in the puzzle.

Difficulty Levels

Beginner Level

• All subwords are provided.
• First letters of rootwords are given.

Higher Levels

• Rootwords are longer, increasing possible subwords.
• Not all subwords may be shown.
• More arrows and paths increase complexity.

Advanced Levels (Planned for WordWalk 2.5)

• Puzzles will include multiple rootwords and their respective subwords.

Additional Notes

1. Mathematical Terminology: Nodes and arrows are also known as vertices and edges.
2. Subword Selection: Each letter in a subword must be clicked in order, even if it appears in multiple words.

By treating the given subwords as clues, you can efficiently navigate the graph and deduce the hidden rootwords. Happy solving!